Danone reports flat profits

French food industry group Danone reported on Tuesday a flat net profit for 2012 of 1.81 billion euros ($2.4 billion) and said it would cut about 900 jobs in management and administration across Europe to reduce costs. The cuts represent 10 percent of managerial staff in Europe with the aim of saving 200 million euros over two years and to boost flagging sales in Europe, the firm said. The price of shares in the company, which now generates 60 percent of sales outside Europe, rose by 4.54 percent in early trading. Sales in Europe fell by 3.0 percent last year compared to the level in 2011, but outside Europe they grew by an average of 10.0 percent. The current operating margin fell by 0.5 percentage points. The company said that the job cuts would be achieved by relocation within the company and through voluntary departures.